Time After Time
by terreisa
Summary: Emma is a Traveler, able to travel through time but unable to control it. Killian is her Taler, always there to greet her and keep her from being alone while out of her time. Neither of them know how it works but they don't mind so much as long as they have each other. A Captain Swan AU one-shot.


**Only the title was inspired by the Cindy Lauper song but it still kinda fits the theme of the story.**

 **Warning: Mentions of character death.**

* * *

 _The first time they met they were the same age._

Emma had known it could happen at any moment but that hadn't made her any more ready for when it actually did. Her parents had explained over and over what to expect for her first trip. They had made it sound fun, exciting, something only a teeny tiny amount of people were able to do. What they hadn't told her was how dizzy she would feel, or that her mouth would be filled with the taste of cinnamon, or that she couldn't be sure that her eyes would stay in her head.

"The year is 1648. Hi, my name is Killian and I'm your Taler and… and why are your eyes closed?"

"I don't want my eyes to fall out," Emma whispered, unsure if she would start crying or throw up. She was leaning towards throwing up, it would be less embarrassing.

"Your eyes? Why would your eyes fall out? Do they give you some sort of fanciful eyes from your time? Is that something that happens then? People's eyes popping out?"

"No!" Emma snapped. Her eyes opened against her will to glare at the boy, Killian she remembered, who was talking too much, "My eyes are just eyes idiot."

"Oh, they are," Killian frowned, apparently disappointed in her normal green eyes.

He looked like all the other boys that were in her fifth grade class at school except for his clothes looked like something from her history book. Killian was skinny, his hair black and all over the place, and his eyes were blue as far as she could tell since he was squinting at her funnily. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oy, that's not very nice!" He stuck his tongue back out at her. "I'm trying to welcome you like a gentleman and you're being very rude."

"A gentleman?" She scoffed, "You're not old enough to be a gentleman."

"I'll be eleven next winter, I'll have you know, and Papa said that you have to be a gentleman around ladies. Even when they won't treat you like one," Killian scowled and then seemed to realize that it wasn't gentlemanly behavior. He smiled at her, wide and fake, "I'm your Taler, the year is 1648 and I hope your trip wasn't terribly awful."

Emma blinked in amazement. Her mom had said that while no one knew how it worked the people who could travel through time led a life not many people could relate to. The only Travelers she knew were her mom and her dad and so everything she knew about Travelers was what they had told her. Which meant she knew that her mom's first trip had only sent her back thirty years, her dad's seventy. If she did the math right, which she would have to check when she got home and to a calculator, she had traveled over three hundred years. Her dizziness came back suddenly.

"You look a little peaky. Maybe you should sit down," Killian said nervously.

"I think that's a good idea," Emma gasped, plopping down to the ground and putting her head on her knees. She tried to ignore the suddenly overwhelming smell of animals around her, like she did when she visited her grandmother's farm, "Am I still in Boston?"

"Erm, just on the outskirts of it. Would you like some water or goat's milk perhaps? We were just finishing milking when I felt you arrive."

Emma frowned, at both the idea of drinking goat milk and what Killian said about feeling her arrive. She turned her head to look up at him. He was watching her closely, shifting on his feet as if he was waiting for her to ask for the goat's milk so he could run and get it. The thought made her smile and she instantly felt better.

"You felt it when I got here?"

"Of course! Hard to miss the feeling like someone's grabbin' your innards. Don't you know anything about Talers?" Killian was frowning and looking disappointed again.

"I know some," she said defensively, not liking how Killian's frown was making her feel dumb. "My mom's Taler came to our house once. Ruby said she was one hundred and twenty but she looked like she could be my mom's sister. She said that Talers don't age after they turn thirty but they live forever and ever. Her grandma is almost two hundred and fifty years old!

"I also know that no matter what time I travel to you'll always be there but neither the Talers or the Travelers know how it works. Just like they don't know why some people can travel and others can't or how Talers get no choice in who their Traveler is, they just show up one day and poof that's it."

"Okay… but did you know I have to tell you what year it is as soon as you get here? Papa said even if I wanted to say hello first I couldn't. After that I could say whatever I want again," Killian's eyes dropped to the ground as he drug the toe of his scuffed shoe through the dirt. "Although, I think I've mucked it up a bit seeing as how you're sitting on the ground and you yelled at me right away,"

"You didn't. I yelled at you because no one told me how many weird things I'd feel when I traveled. I don't think I'll ever eat cinnamon again," Emma laughed nervously, mad at herself for making Killian feel bad.

"You tasted cinnamon too?" Killian asked breathless before laughing loudly. He dropped down beside her, "I thought I was going barmy! I knew from the way my stomach ached that you'd finally shown up but I didn't think the cinnamon were part of it too."

"Did you see me when I got here?" Emma was finally curious about what had happened and she didn't know how long she had left.

"No, we were in the barn," Killian pointed to the large wood barn they were sitting in the shadow of. She could hear the goats bleating inside, "Liam yelled something fierce when I dropped my pail to run out to greet you."

"Liam?"

She looked around but there was no one else nearby. A small house stood aways from the barn with a few chickens pecking around the lopsided stairs leading to the door. There was smoke coming from the chimney and it was so quiet Emma thought she could hear the fire crackling from inside the house.

"My brother but I'm not supposed to talk about me. You're a Traveler, you have to ask your questions," Killian said pulling back his shoulders and puffing up his chest.

"Questions?" Emma was confused. Her parents had never told her to ask her Taler anything, they only ever told her that she should enjoy her trips, "Um, do you go to school?"

Killian's shoulders dropped an inch and he tilted his head to look at her, "I'm learning my numbers when we do chores and at night Liam's been teaching me to read from this boring old book but it's the only one we have. Why? Do you go to school?"

"Everybody does, you go to jail if you don't. Do you have a pet?"

"A pet? Don't you want to know about things like how we make our bread or what we use to help with the farm? Or how we prepare for the winter months?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "But if you want to tell me I'll listen. We're going to be friends after all."

"You're very odd," Killian said but somehow Emma could tell he wasn't being mean, more like he was amazed. "Hey, I don't even know your name."

"I'm Emma-" she held out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you."

Before he had a chance to take her hand Emma's vision faded to black as her world spun under her feet and the taste of cinnamon filled her mouth again. She opened her eyes to find she was back in her room and her parents were sitting on her bed smiling proudly at her.

"You didn't tell me about the cinnamon," she blurted out.

Her mom, Mary Margaret, laughed and her dad, David, grimaced.

"I taste apples and your father tastes nutmeg-"

"Not the best taste on its own," David said shuddering.

"Was it fun. Is your Taler nice?" Mary Margaret asked eagerly

"It was okay," she shrugged. "Killian thinks I'm weird though."

"Killian, that's an interesting name," David smiled. "What year did you meet her?"

"He said it was, um, 1648."

Emma didn't miss the way her parent's eyes widened and then looked to each other in concern.

"I know it seems like a long time to travel but I'm okay. I was a little dizzy at first but Killian made it okay," she smiled at them to show that she was fine.

Her mom smiled back but it was the worried kind that Emma knew was hiding something. Before she could ask about it her dad nudged her mom and together they held up a present that she hadn't noticed sitting beside them. She reached for it eagerly, already knowing what it was.

Once she tore the paper off and threw the top of the box it came in behind her she found herself looking at a beautiful leather bound journal. It was similar to the ones she'd seen both her mom and dad writing in after their own trips, the ones she had read over and over again once she knew what they were. Now she had one of her very own to write down what had happened on her trips.

"Thank you!" She squealed, hugging the journal to her chest. Without waiting for her parents to say anything back or even move she ran to her desk and pulled out her favorite pen, the one with the purple ink, "I have to write it all down before I forget anything! How do you think 'Killian' is spelled?"

"I'm not sure, sweetie, but you can ask him next time," her mom answered tentatively.

"I will. I'll just guess for now."

Emma carefully opened the cover and turned to the first page. She started writing just like she'd seen in her parent's journals with the date she'd traveled from and the year she'd traveled to. In her concentration to get everything down she missed the worry in her parent's eyes.

 _The second time they met they weren't._

Emma spit several times but the taste of cinnamon lingered. The dizziness was just as bad as she remembered but she kept her eyes open. It had been a year since her first trip and she was wondering if Killian had changed as much as the dumb boys in her class had over the summer. What she hadn't expected was to be surrounded by strangers on a sidewalk looking like they should be in Grease instead of pre-Revolution Boston.

"It's 1957 and don't stare Swan, it's rude."

She spun around and found a man smiling at her. He was way older than her, with his hair slicked back like Elvis and a leather jacket on even though it felt like she'd arrived in the middle of summer. It was only his blue eyes, squinting at her because of how wide he was smiling, that stopped her from yelling 'stranger, danger'.

"Killian?"

"Aye." Killian nodded, his grin widening.

"You're so old!" Emma burst out, immediately clapping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

"Judging by your lack of manners and your height I'd say you're not yet a teenager. Am I right, Swan?"

Bristling she dropped her hands to her hips, "Stop calling me that! At least I didn't get super old or think that looking like the Fonz was a good idea. Now I'm stuck here and not hanging out with my friend and basically being babysat like a stupid kid."

Her eyes started stinging and it felt like there was a baseball in her throat. She refused to let Killian see her cry, especially because she was a little bit scared of him. Despite knowing that her trips would be random and that her Taler was immortal she had hoped that he'd always be the same age as her in whatever time she ended up.

"Hey now, Swa- er, Emma. I never said I wasn't your friend," Killian said softly, leaning down to her level. "Let's start again shall we? Hullo, Emma, it's 1957, you're still in Boston and looking like I do is considered especially cool at the moment. Although I'm not entirely sure what a fonz is."

"He's a character from this tv show my mom watches," Emma said shyly, not entirely sure how to talk to a grownup that wasn't family or a teacher.

"Well, he must be an especially handsome man then. Perhaps we should sit ourselves down and you can tell me a bit about him. There's an especially wonderful soda shop around the corner from here. Would you care to join me?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you stuff about the future," she said, hesitating but wanting to see if he still wanted to be her friend. "Dad said that it's not fair and that it could change something that shouldn't be changed."

"Then we'll have to settle for sharing a malted and me telling you about about this wonderful performance I saw on the television a few months back. It was this brilliant ne'er do well named Elvis Presley-"

Laughing Emma pushed at his shoulder until he was standing. She was still a little sad that Killian wasn't twelve like her but it was like she could see that boy smiling at her as he offered her his arm. Taking it happily she listened to him ramble on about how much music had changed over the years while they walked down the street.

When she made it back to her time, luckily after they'd finished the two scoops of rocky road she'd wanted instead of a milkshake, the first thing she'd written in her journal was that no matter what Killian promised to always be her friend. The second was that he had refused to tell her why he had called her Swan.

 _There were the times where she was hurting,_

"The year is 1883 and-"

"I don't want to hear it Killian."

Emma had never hated her gift as much as she did in that moment. It had only been a week. One goddamn week where she hadn't left her bunk except to use the toilet or to visit the infirmary. She hadn't even gone to see her parents when they had come during visitation hours. Not even to see her son.

"Swan?"

"Not now, Killian," she sighed, screwing her eyes shut and curling in on herself.

She could hear shuffling beside her, the sound of rocks skittering across dirt, and a grunt accompanied by a tiny puff of air stirring her hair. It took all of her resolve to not twist away from the warmth radiating from him at her side.

"Am I to believe that you're not in the Arizona Territory by choice then, luv?"

"It's a state," she said shuddering. "In my time it's a state and I'm a guest of their prison system."

"Oh, Swan," Killian's hand began gently stroking her hair and she let her tears fall at the first gentle touch she'd felt in months.

"That's not even the worst of it. I had, have a son, and I've only held him once. How am I supposed to be a good mother if I'll have been in prison for the first months of his life? I'm only eighteen and there's this little person waiting for me, depending on me to be his everything. I can't do it!"

"Ah, but you can, Emma. You can!" Killian squeezed her shoulder, "I have already seen you many, many times and each time I'm amazed by your strength. You know that I can't tell you about what I've seen or know about your future but I've yet to see you fail. You just have to believe in yourself, luv."

Unable to help herself she began to cry in earnest. She cried for her parents, who had supported her wholeheartedly no matter how much she'd hurt them when she'd run away. She cried for her son, Henry, and how for the few precious moments that she'd held him had been perfect despite the shackle around her ankle and the guard at the door. Most of all she cried for everything she'd lost the moment she let herself fall for a two-bit thief with warm brown eyes and a crooked smile.

"Let's make a run for it, yeah? For as long as I've got you here we can go far away from this dusty territory. I hear the young state of Oregon has views of the ocean that can take one's breath away."

Emma hiccuped a laugh, belatedly realizing that Killian had gathered her in his lap and he was whispering in her ear as he held her close. She could feel a blush beginning to burn in her cheeks. From the moment she'd seen him on the trip on her thirteenth birthday, to 1970 where he was wearing an insane amount of polyester, she'd harbored a ridiculous crush on him. It had only worsened with each subsequent trip and being held by him was torture that was almost worse than being in prison.

She gently disentangled herself from his arms and sat down beside him. Wiping away her tears and brushing her hair behind her ears she found she couldn't look at him as she explained.

"We wouldn't get past a half a mile and you know it. The prison I'm in is one of the few built to accommodate Travelers. The perimeter fence is exactly a mile from the places inmates are allowed to be."

"Allow me to give you something to keep your spirits up while you're locked away then, luv."

Killian gently nudged her under her chin with his finger to get her to look at him. He looked the same as he always had, somewhere in his early thirties with his dark hair flopping gently over his forehead. He'd allowed his beard to grow and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the dark brown and reddish hair that nearly obscured the bottom half of his face. It was his eyes, the ones that never seemed to change, that had her on the verge of smiling for the first time in ages.

"That's a lass, Swan," he said with a wink. He fiddled with a fine silver chain around his neck, "I was told that this was a bit of a good luck charm. It's something that I've had for a very long time but I want you to have it. You deserve to have it."

Killian pulled the chain over his head and Emma caught a glimpse of something dangling from it before it was swallowed by his hand. He quickly used his other hand to position her own so that it was palm up. Without pause he let the chain slip from his hand into hers and she found herself staring at a garnet ring that was still warm and clearly centuries old.

"Killian, I can't take this," she said shaking her head and holding her hand out to him.

"You can and you will. Liam gave me this ring to help protect me for the long years I'd live without him. I may be immortal but you are not, luv. Please, as a gift from a friend, take it and I'll know that you'll be safe even when things look their worst."

"They'll confiscate it as soon as I get back," she whispered shakily, even as she slid the chain over her head.

"But it'll be yours once you're free," he said softly as he lifted her hair from under the chain, watching the ring settle over her cream prison shirt. His eyes quickly darted back up to hers, "How much longer will you be in there?"

"I have three and a half months of my sentence left but I could be let out early for good behavior."

"Then you shall have to endeavor to keep the pirate in you at bay."

He winked again and with that simple bit of playfulness it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Not once had he judged her, even without her sharing any part of why she was in prison in the first place. Somehow Emma knew that she would be okay if only because Killian believed in her.

"Thank you, Killian," she said softly. Before she could think better of it she wrapped her arms around him again, "For everything but mostly for being my friend."

"Always, Swan. Always."

When she was released two months later her parents were waiting for her with her son and a bouquet of pale pink roses that she knew had been sent by Killian, despite there being no card attached.

 _And the times where he was._

Wrinkling her nose Emma wished that along with tasting cinnamon she could smell it too. Whenever she had landed it smelled foul, almost to the point of making her gag. Not for the first time she wondered what exactly made her travel and why, especially when she realized that Killian was nowhere to be found. For a moment she panicked. She knew she was at the Boston Harbor and from just looking around her she guessed it was close to the time she had arrived on her first trip. It was impossible for Killian not to be there, she knew that. It was then that she noticed what she thought was a pile of rags at her feet start moving.

"Iss sissteen fi-fity eigh', luv."

"Killian?"

"Who else would it bloody be? The Lord Protector hisself? Pfft, dunt know your Taler when you see-see 'im."

The rags moved jerkily until Killian was standing before her on unsteady feet. He was younger than she'd ever seen him, aside from their first meeting. His hair was long, unkempt and matted, his face was streaked with dirt, his clothes bedraggled and filthy, and as he leaned toward her she was overwhelmed with the stench of body odor and liquor.

"Jesus, Killian, what happened?"

"I told you whut you needed ta know, Traveler. Now leave me alone."

Emma frowned as Killian practically collapsed back to the ground, pulling a nearly empty bottle of rum from somewhere she didn't want to think about. Gritting her teeth she prayed that whatever forces made her travel would give her enough time to sort him out. Even knowing that she'd seen him much older than he currently was she didn't want to think about what would happen to him if she disappeared before she made sure he would be okay.

Holding her breath she stepped in front of him, bent down and snagged the bottle from his loose fingers. He roared in outrage and she backed up quickly as he lumbered back to his feet. Using the rum as a lure she led his irate form to an inn she'd noticed nearby and hoped they would take a look at the gold ingots she had and keep their questions to themselves.

An hour later she'd gotten some food in him and halfway sober, enough to wash himself without drowning or needing her help. As she listened to the splashing of water and Killian's disgruntled muttering she quickly did the math. He was twenty or close to it, only three years younger than herself. In all her other trips he had already been well into his immortal years and never mentioned anything about what could have caused the destructive spiral she'd found him in. Her hand went to worry at the ring she kept around her neck when Killian stepped from behind the privacy screen and she saw it swinging across his bare chest. Suddenly she knew what had happened.

"What happened to Liam, Killian?"

He froze. His eyes were still cloudy with drink but she could see the pain in them clear as day. She could also see that life hadn't been kind to him. Aside from the scars she could barely see curling around his side from his back he was scrawny enough that she could count his ribs. Whatever had happened to Liam was only a part of what had hurt him so deeply.

"I haven't seen you for nearly ten years, luv. Wondered if I was truly meant to be your Taler but here you are, asking all the wrong questions again."

"You know I can't control it," she said quietly, not taking his bait for a fight. "What happened, Killian?"

"Did you know I've been in England all these years? Is that why you never showed? Not when my good for nothing father abandoned us or when we were starving on the streets when Liam couldn't scrape enough coin together? No, you've the bloody nerve to come here mere days after my brother's body has been consigned to the bottom of the ocean. Fitting I suppose."

"Oh god, Killian, I'm so… I'm so sorry."

His raw grief hit her like a physical force. She had already known that Liam had died, Killian had only told her that his brother hadn't been a Taler like him and their father, but she had never known when or how it had happened. Killian had told her that small detail when she had traveled to 1978 after her grandmother had died and even then she had been well aware of the lingering sadness over Liam's passing that he had carried with him for centuries.

Killian stormed around the room, angrily jerking on the shirt she had bought from the inn's owner along with their food and lodging. She stood stock still as he paced around her in the small space, not wanting to set him off even more by making an inadvertently wrong move. The sound of him sighing deeply was followed by the thump of something heavy dropping onto what she assumed was the bed. Still she didn't dare make a move to see if she was right.

"We were headed back to the Colonies-" Killian murmured quietly, brokenly. "-hoping to find more stable work across the ocean. Liam had kept us alive and out of indentured servitude but only just. The merchant ship we hired on with to work off the cost of our passage was attacked mid-voyage by a privateer. It was a bloody fight, nearly lost my hand, lost my brother instead.

"The ship was barely afloat and we had interred half our crew in the sea. When we limped into port we discovered that the arse Cromwell had a fleet of privateers wreaking havoc across the Atlantic. My brother was killed because the bastard has a hard on for power and riches."

Something sailed past her line of sight and smashed against the wall. She flinched as a piece of whatever it was grazed her cheek. Shakily she brought her hand up to where she could feel it stinging and hissed in pain, quickly pulling her fingers away to find them spotted with blood.

"No, no no no no."

Killian was suddenly standing in front of her, his eyes frantic as his hand hovered over her cheek. She winced and to her complete surprise his face crumpled in anguish. He sank to the ground, gasping in heart wrenching sobs and she followed without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his slight form.

"It's okay, I'm okay. You'll be okay. I've seen it. It'll be okay."

They stayed huddled on the floor for nearly two hours. Emma kept up a litany of soft reassurances and comfort as Killian's tears waxed and waned. Near the end of it Killian's head had ended up in her lap and she was gently stroking his hair as his eyes closed for longer and longer periods of time.

"Please don't leave me," he mumbled, breath hitching.

"If I could stay I would," she whispered as tears of her own started to fall.

"Truly?" He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide and vulnerable.

"Yes," she answered sincerely and heart brokenly.

"Good."

She remained for another hour, long enough to see him settled in the bed and with the promise that he was done drinking himself into a stupor. The moment she got back to her time she tried to discover everything she could about the maritime skirmish that had taken Liam's life but it was lost to history. What she did discover, however, left her smiling. The inn she had taken Killian to and comforted him in was still in operation, a true Boston historical landmark that had seen many owners over the centuries but had never once changed its name.

A stop at The Swan's Feather for lunch and a pint quickly became a staple of her weekly routine.

 _Sometimes they had thrilling adventures,_

"It's 1765. What the bloody hell are you doing in the middle of the ocean, Swan?"

"I was enjoying my first real vacation in years you ass! How the hell was I supposed to know that even on a cruise I could still travel?"

"You just had to arrive during a tempest didn't you?"

"Shut up and batten down the hatches or whatever before we all drown!"

 _But mostly they enjoyed one another's company in peace._

"It's 1938, Swan, hurry come listen! There's a marvelous story being broadcast on the radio tonight."

"Really? What's it about?"

"Invaders from another planet, luv. They're calling it The War of the Worlds!"

 _There were short trips,_

"Emma you're back already? It's only been five minutes."

"I know and it's not fair! I haven't seen Killian in months and I barely got to say hi."

"Where are you going?"

"To write the dumb trip down in my journal even though nothing happened."

 _And there were long ones._

"Two weeks Killian! I've been stuck in the stupid Depression for two weeks!"

"I can't be blamed for you remaining here for so long, luv, but you could have at least told me that you've been unhappy."

"No, Killian, _The_ Depression. It's what we call this era. Look, I haven't hated spending this time with you, really, but I've never been away from Henry for this long. What if I never get back home?"

"Don't worry, Emma, you will get back to your boy."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

 _It was almost inevitable that they would fall in love._

"Henry, I'm not going to say it again, put your shoes and jacket on! We're already late!"

Emma hurriedly tried to simultaneously step into her heels and secure the backs onto her earrings, completely aware that she was a hypocrite of the highest order. She stumbled a little when a set of solid knocks sounded at the front door. Annoyed at the timing of the person who was most likely the neighbor who kept getting her mail she quickly moved through her apartment and wrenched open the door.

"Happy birthday, Swan."

Killian was standing on her doormat wearing a leather jacket in a modern fit, skinny jeans that looked almost new and a dark button down shirt that definitely was. She quickly ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth. The only thing she could taste was the lingering hint of mint left from her mouthwash. Her stomach was another story, it felt eerily similar to how it felt after every single trip she'd taken to the past only far worse because she was fairly certain that seeing Killian in the present meant something she wasn't quite ready to accept.

"You look-"

"I know."

She huffed out a laugh, feeling immediately at ease. Whatever Killian's purpose was for being there she didn't feel like questioning it. Not when she could choose exactly how short or how long to make their time together last. The implications of that thought she refused to entertain as she stepped back into her apartment silently inviting him in.

"Hi," Emma said dumbly for lack of anything else to say.

"Hullo, luv," Killian grinned widely causing the skin around his eyes to wrinkle. "I brought something for you."

From behind his back he produced a single red long stemmed rose. Emma could feel herself starting to blush as she reached for it, noticing that the tips of Killian's ears were turning pink as well. She avoided looking into his eyes worried that once she did she'd never want to look at anything else again. As soon as she took the rose his hand went to the back of his neck, a nervous tick she'd seen time and again. Their unexpected bashfulness was interrupted by the sound of Henry clattering down the hall.

"Mom, I can't find my scarf and Grandma text me that they're already at the restaurant- who are you?"

"Henry, this is my friend Killian," Emma said happily. She had told Henry about Killian and let him read her journal just like her parents had let her read their's, "Killian, this is Henry. Look, we're running late but let me go put this in some water and then we can go. Henry, your scarf is hanging on the closet door and can you grab my coat too please? The black wool one. Then text Grandma and tell her we need another seat at the table. If it bumps our reservation tell her it's fine."

She smiled widely at the two of them before walking quickly to the kitchen. It wasn't five seconds before she heard the heavy tread that definitely wasn't her son's following her. With a roll of her eyes she crouched down to find the bud vase she kept under the sink.

"Swan, I can come back at another time. I don't wish to inconvenience you."

Grabbing the vase she stood and began filling it with water, taking a small peek at him. He was fiddling with the rings on his fingers as he watched her with a look of wariness. She desperately wanted to take his hands in hers and stop every thought he was having that clearly contradicted with how she actually felt. Instead she carefully put the rose into the vase and placed it on the windowsill above the sink before turning to face him.

"After all the times I've inconvenienced you over the centuries I think I owe you a time or two," she shrugged, relaxing as he chuckled. "It's my birthday, which means I get what I want and I want you to come to dinner with us. Please?"

"As you wish then, Swan."

Killian smiled gently and the feeling of tightness and nausea made a reappearance in her stomach. She took a deep breath to steel herself for what was sure to be a memorable dinner.

Emma was only partially right. It wasn't the dinner that would stick in her memory but what happened after. Her parents had been courteous but wary throughout the meal and she had ignored it in favor of enjoying herself. Killian regaled them all with stories of his past, embarrassed her with ones about her trips, and captivated Henry with the knowledge he'd gained over his long life. By the time the last of the desserts had been scraped off the plate and the bottles of wine were nothing but a memory Emma couldn't have cared less that her parents had been reserved the whole night. It was a sentiment that only lasted until Killian had excused himself to use the restroom while they waited outside the restaurant for him.

"Emma are you sure this is a good idea?"

Emma looked away from where Henry and her father were talking excitedly about the Patriot's game they were going to with some of her father's co workers. She was surprised by the concern on her mother's face.

"Sure what is a good idea?" She asked slowly.

"I've only seen Ruby a few times outside of my trips and your father has never seen Arthur outside of his," Mary Margaret said carefully. "It's rare enough to have a Taler that's a different gender than you and to have one that was born so long before you? Sweetie, this can't lead to anything good."

"What exactly are you more worried about? That something will happen to me or that something will happen with us?" Emma tried to keep her voice even and quiet but her father glanced over at them sharply.

"Emma, I know he's your friend and you care deeply for him but you've never traveled to the future. There has to be a reason for that."

"Nobody knows how this works. Not the people who have traveled to the past or the future. Even the Talers that have been around for much longer than Killian has have any idea what any of it means-" she threw up her arms in frustration. Her father stepped towards them, his hand on Henry's shoulder, "You two have always told me to just enjoy my trips, to not be burdened like all the other Travelers. I have loved every one of my trips and Killian has been a big part of why. He's here, now, and I want to enjoy this time with him. However long it lasts."

"Emma, we're not telling you to not see him," David said placatingly.

She opened her mouth to point out that they were, just not in so many words when she noticed that Henry was watching them with wide eyes. It was at that moment that Killian stepped out of the restaurant to rejoin them and she was relieved at his timing. His presence effectively stopped their conversation before she or her parents said something they'd regret.

"Alright there, Swan?" Killian asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He was putting up a front for her parents and had her wondering what exactly he had overheard.

"I'm good, just saying goodnight to my parents," she intoned sweetly. She pulled David into a hug whispering into his ear, "This is my life, please let me live it."

The cab ride back to her apartment was quiet on her part. Killian and Henry's conversation kept her from retreating completely but she made no effort to join in. Emma turned to watch the city pass by the window, worrying at the ring she had pulled out from where it had been under her dress, when she felt a gentle brush on her shoulder. She felt the tension drain from her as Killian settled his hand on the back of her neck without once faltering in his story about riding the first Ferris Wheel at the Chicago World's Fair.

"Alright boys, I hate to be a party pooper but Henry it's way past your bedtime."

Emma laughed at the pouts Henry and Killian sent her way from the couch. She had insisted that Killian stay for a cup of coffee that turned into two hours of video games and counting. They hadn't even noticed when she'd bowed out of the fifth round of Super Smash Brothers to change out of her dress and then putter around the apartment cleaning and getting ready for the next day of work and school.

"One more round, Mom, please? We're tied!"

"And if it was the weekend I'd say yes but it's not so no. You two can have a tiebreaker some other time," Emma stopped short. She looked quickly at Killian, unsure, "I mean, only if Killian can-"

"Count me in lad-" Killian inclined his head towards Henry but kept his eyes on her, "As you know I've nothing but time on my hands."

"Awesome!" Henry whooped in excitement. "Hey, I have to write a report about The Depression and I bet I'll get an A if I talk to someone who's actually lived through it. Will you help me?"

"Aye, I will but your mother would be just as capable of helping you. She did live through it for a few weeks herself."

Emma blushed at Killian's soft gaze and Henry's look of awe.

"Really? You didn't write that you were there for weeks, Mom," Henry turned excitedly to Killian. "Okay, you can come over tomorrow for dinner for my report and then on Saturday for a whole day rematch!"

"Henry, you can't just invite someone to spend all their free time with us" Emma scolded gently, her cheeks growing warmer at her son's enthusiasm.

"Why not? He's a Taler and lives forever so he can spend plenty of time with us, right?" Henry turned to look at Killian with a bit of confusion.

"I'd be honored to join you for dinner tomorrow. If that's alright with you of course, luv."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Emma said without hesitation. She tore her eyes away from Killian to find Henry smiling smugly at them, "Alright, kid, face, teeth, and pajamas. Say goodnight to Killian."

"Night, Killian, see ya' tomorrow!"

Henry shot off the couch and down the hall. Emma waited until she could hear the water running before turning back to Killian. He was still watching her with a soft look.

"What?" She asked defensively.

"Nothing, Swan. It's a joy to see you in your own time for once-" he gave her a bright smile before it dimmed slightly and he nodded down the hall. "Has he had his first trip yet?"

"Oh, um, no," Emma felt a weight dropping in her stomach. "His dad wasn't a Traveler."

Killian's smile disappeared as he looked down the hall and then back at her with somber understanding. Travelers were only born if both parents were Travelers themselves. It wasn't like the Talers, where no matter how many children a Taler had over their life only one would inherit the abilities.

"He's lucky then," he said finally. "He gets to hear the good bits without experiencing the bad."

"Why are you here Killian? Why now?"

Emma kicked herself mentally for trading one uncomfortable topic for another but Henry not being able to travel broke her heart. It was easier to deal with a heartbreak of another kind.

Killian looked as though he was going to answer her question immediately. He then shook his head slightly and stood from the couch. She didn't move except to tilt her head up to look at him as he stepped into her space.

"Let's say a little birdie told me to be here today," he gave her a cheeky smile and a wink. Suddenly his look turned serious as his eyes darted between hers, "I heard your parents earlier-"

She shifted, uncomfortable that he'd heard her parent's remarks, but he quickly grasped her hands in his.

"But I also heard you. Every time I've tasted cinnamon and felt a vice squeezing my stomach has been the beginning of the best times in my long, long life. I don't know what will happen or what this means for us but I'm in this for the long haul. That is only if you are willing to give us a chance."

Emma shifted again but only to lace her fingers with Killian's. His eyes widened slightly, almost as if he couldn't believe his luck. In a move she'd only dreamed of she lifted herself on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his. Before he could react or she could lose herself in his touch she lowered herself back onto her heels and gave him a shy smile.

"I know you're coming over for dinner tomorrow but would you like to go to out, or something, on Friday?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you?" He asked lifting his brow as he squeezed her hands.

"Just because you're, like, a million years old-"

"Ouch, Swan, cut a man where it hurts-" he gave her an exaggerated frown which quickly turned back up into a smile. "I'd love to go out with you but on the condition that I plan the evening."

"I think I can live with that."

Killian came for dinner the next night, took her out dancing the following night, and after spending the entire weekend battling her son in various video games Emma came to the conclusion that he wouldn't be going anywhere soon. A year later she no longer worried that he would suddenly disappear from her present life as quickly as he had entered it. He had integrated himself into her and Henry's life so fully she could barely remember what it was like to not have him in it.

She tried not to think about how she hadn't traveled once since he'd arrived.

"Killian?"

"Hmm?"

They were sitting on their couch watching a movie. Emma had been running her fingers through his hair when she noticed it. At first she thought it was a trick of the light but with a surreptitious closer look she had seen it again.

"I thought Talers didn't age," she said casually as her stomach tied itself in knots.

Killian stiffened slightly. She stopped herself from pulling away and let her hand rest on his shoulder.

"They don't, luv," he answered back with a sigh, pausing the movie before turning to look at her with cautious eyes.

"When you say they…"

Killian dropped his eyes to his hands, "There were stories, I'm sure Travelers have some of their own, about a Taler's immortality. Most of them were words of caution meant to warn us against vices, dark deeds, of losing ourselves over our long lives but there were a few that inspired hope. One such story was of a Taler who had lost her immortality not because she had done anything wrong but because she had fallen in love, true love, with a mortal."

He lifted his head and she felt her breath catch at the emotions swirling in his eyes.

"I didn't believe it. Thought it was a load of rubbish actually but then you kept showing up, sometimes at the most inopportune times but somehow always when I needed you most. It wasn't until the last time I saw you before your birthday that I knew I would do anything to be in your life, even if it meant giving up everything.

"It didn't hurt, when it happened. If I hadn't been paying attention I doubt I would have noticed it at all."

"Notice what?" She asked tremulously.

"That I'd truly fallen in love with you, fully and completely. It was after Henry's school play last spring. I saw you talking to one mom or another and you looked happier than I'd ever seen you but also content. Like you were living the life you were meant to and you looked at me and I realized I was a part of that life.

"When I found myself feeling just as content, just as happy, that I was finally living the life I'd sought for centuries it was like a switch had been flipped inside me and I never wanted to go back. Not when continuing to live forever meant living at any point without you. I found my first grey hair a week later."

"But I just found one right now!" She burst out, wincing at her bluntness.

Killian chuckled, running his hand through his hair, "I've been dyeing it, Swan. I didn't want to scare you with the implications."

"You can't scare me with that when I love you too," she said shakily. She felt her lower lip tremble, "If anything I was scared of growing old and then leaving you behind. I didn't want you to be alone."

His eyes widened in wonder as the corner of his mouth ticked up into a half smile. He carefully tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest on the curve of her neck.

"After a confession like that there'll be no getting rid of me."

"Promise?"

Killian answered her with a full, wide smile and a kiss that left her blushing.

 _In the end all they needed was each other._

Emma closed her eyes against the dizziness she hadn't felt in decades. The taste of cinnamon was overwhelmingly strong, not helping her nausea. She felt her knees buckle but a pair of strong arms caught her.

"It's 1983. Are you alright, Swan?"

Her eyes shot open. She winced as her spotted and wrinkled hands fumbled with her glasses, her movements too fast for her arthritis riddled joints. Killian came into focus and for a moment she felt embarrassed that he was seeing her looking so old. He looked as young as he always had, before they had fallen in love, his dark hair cut and styled like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. There were even Ray Bans hiding his too blue eyes from her own failing sight.

Fighting back hysterical laughter and a sob at the same time she drank him in. She never found out why she didn't travel while her and Killian grew old together but she knew all too well why she had never traveled to the future. It was only fitting that three days after she'd buried the love of her life she found herself back at his side.

"I'm much better now," she assured him. Shaking her head she ceased her staring, looking out over the park that hadn't changed much in nearly a century, "Forgive this old woman, Killian, I almost forgot how handsome you always were."

"I must say, luv, you're looking radiant yourself-" he winked. "Although I must admit being a bit jealous that you've given my future self all the joy of seeing you age so wonderfully. Have you hated travelling to the past that much?"

"Of course not," she scolded, turning back to look at him.

Fighting the urge to spill the truth about them, their future together, she did give in to her need to touch him. His hand was wonderfully warm and alive under her own. So different from the one she hadn't been able to let go of until he had been taken away from her by the nursing home doctors. She wasn't aware she had started crying until he lifted his free hand to wipe the tear from her cheek.

"None of that now, Swan. It's been some years for me and I wager a few for you as well. Let's make the most of our time together, shall we?"

Killian made to stand but she tightened her grip on his hand as much as her arthritis would let her. Somehow she knew her trip wouldn't last much longer and that it would be her last one. There was an unspoken rule about Travelers influencing a Taler's path but Emma knew that what she was about to say would do nothing more than secure what had been the best years of her life.

"October 23, 2005."

"Pardon, luv?" He looked at her, confused.

"It'll be my birthday and I'll be here, in Boston. I'd very much like to see you."

"Swan?"

"You've a while to think it over-" Emma patted his hand, smiling as the tears gathered in her eyes again. "And if you do decide to show, bring a rose. I'm a sucker for roses."

"Emma?"

She didn't get to answer him and was relieved that she didn't have to.

The next morning Emma Jones was found in her bed having passed peacefully in the night. On her desk was an old journal open to her final entry, an antique garnet ring resting on the page. The nurses whispered amongst themselves that she had died of a broken heart but her children and grandchildren knew better. A Traveler never knew when they'd make a trip but they always knew their Taler would be there, waiting for them to arrive.

* * *

 **A.N.: This thing came about because of a prompt I reblogged on Tumblr that wouldn't leave me alone. That and because in the multichapter I've been writing there haven't been very many interactions between Emma and Killian at the moment. I apparently felt the need to atone for that by writing a whole fic that was nothing _but_ interactions between the two.**


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